To All Paddlers: How do you protect your camera?

We are in the process of purchasing two solo canoes for calm water/back country paddling. How do the paddlers on VFTT protect your camera equipment but allow for easy accesss for those wildlife shots you just HAVE TO record for posterity. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

I just keep mine on the deck in front of me in a ziplock freezer bag.

I have an old canon G3 that has a somewhat flaky shutter button. I don't do anything other than having my sprayskirt on and the camera case. However, you can do anything from ziploc bag (as mentioned) to buying a specific waterproof shell for most P&S camera (probably not your huge camera) to buying paddling specific drybags for it to a otterbox hardshell (for storage).

Then there are some waterproof P&S cameras, most though lack a viewfinder, Pentax and Olympus make some lower end P&S cameras that are waterproof to 10ft or so.

Jay

I guess it really depends on the size of the camera.

Mine is small and it fits inside an Otter Box that I attach to the deck rigging in front of the cockpit or sometimes just put it on my sprayskirt on my lap(with the lanyard clipped so something).
Two clips and I can get to the camera vs. keeping it inside a dry bag and having to undo it every time I need to use it.

The one with the foam looks nice.

I keep mine in a small dry bag that I stick between my legs. I roll it open and closed as I need the camera. I do miss osme shots getting at the camera but rather thay than get it wet.

I should have mentioned that I want to take my larger Canon XTi DSLR with lenses - the one I will probably use the most is a 17-85 mm lens but I would also like to bring along a longer 70-210 mm lens which will probably stay protected in a Lowepro front-load case. I would love to be able to have the camera around my neck while I paddle (I'm getting a 2-piece double paddle) but think that the camera will get in the way of paddling and may get wet from the dripping water from the paddle. Some one on another forum said that they used a plastic bucket with screw-on lid which held the camera case with lenses etc. The bucket is placed in front and the paddler reaches in to pull out the camera, then puts it back in the bucket and rescrews the lid. I'm trying to find a bucket big enough to accommodate the Lowpro case. Any other thoughts?

Edelweiss said:

(I'm getting a 2-piece double paddle) but think that the camera will get in the way of paddling and may get wet from the dripping water from the paddle.

Click to expand...

Ugh. I hate two-piece paddles in a canoe. Mostly because they drip everywhere, but also because you can't maneuver as well as with a single paddle. Sorry to sound like a canoe snob, but if you perfect your single paddle technique you'll go in a straight line with minimal effort, and keep the inside of your boat as dry as can be. Then you can have your camera out, ready to use.

Jo,

A sheet rock pail with some cushioning thrown in and a screw-on lid would probably do the trick.
The Otter case looked like a great solution until I noticed that the inside dimensions are too small for a DSLR.

The extra lens offers lots of options, but not sure I'd want to be changing lenses in a marine environment. At least not until I was ashore.

SLR cameras/paddling

To me, this is not a good mix. I have lost 2 with expensive lenses on what most people would consider a pretty tame river. With modern SLRs they are ruined even if you retrieve them. I guess the best thing to do is have a wet bag or otter box, but more importantly, a system. "OK, I want to take a picture." Put down the paddle, pick up the wet bag/box. Open it. Take out the camera. Put the strap around your neck. Take the picture. Take it off. Put it away. Close the bag and make sure it is sealed tightly. Sure, you'll miss some shots, but trying to shoot on the fly will lead to disaster. Take it from one who's been there.

Also, make sure the box or bag is tethered to the canoe. It does you no good to have this if you swamp and the bag sinks twenty feet to the bottom where you can't get it.

Nowadays I take a cheap P+S that is water proof to about 10'. Still takes a decent picture, but no zoom. Consider your options carefully. You could always dish out the big bucks and by an underwater shell.

Pictures like this can be had from the shoreline.

http://www.ghostflowers.com/shawsheen/shawherons/shawherons.html

KDT

I'm with KDT on this one. It just doesn't sound like a good mix to me unless you buy a waterproof housing specific for your camera. Given the cost of replacement of a dSLR, it would be seriously worth considering in my mind. Then you wouldn't have to worry about it. I can just see myself going to my dSLR from a bag or bucket in an effort to catch a great shot and, in my zeal, wind up tipping or loosing my grip on it. I think I'd want to be at the bottom with the camera if that happened.

Accessibility vs security

I paddle a kayak most of the time, which is wetter than the average canoe because of the paddle drips on my lap. I keep my little Canon camera in a small Pelican case, and have it attached to my deck rigging with a big carabiner. If I'm feeling secure, I put the strap around my neck and slip the camera into a zip lock bag in the pocket of my PFD.

When I paddle my canoe with a larger camera, I often put it in a 6-pack sized soft cooler in the bottom of the canoe in front of me. The cooler keeps the camera safe from drips and bilge water, and keeps it accessible. Previously, I kept the SLR in a large waterproof Pelican or Doskocil camera case, but found that the extra effort to get the camera out meant far less photos. In good weather and calm water, I risk the camera to keep it easily accessible. When the water gets rougher, I pack it away in a waterproof case that is attached to the boat.

I do some snorkeling, so I went out and bought the waterproof case for my Canon A610. Expensive (almost as much as the camera) and it makes the whole arrangement rather large but it is waterproof and protects the lens.

I believe these are the barrels of which you speak.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302700553&bmUID=1211471753954
They are very popular in Canada especially Algonquin PP. A inexpensive alterative is olive barrels which can be obtain from just about any Greek restaurant. They are water proof and with a little padding inside would provide quite a bit of protection. You need to balance the need to have access to the camera but at the same time making sure it does not get wet. I use a fairly inexpensive point and shoot digital camera, which is in a small dry bag clipped to my portage bag which sits right in front of me. I’ve missed a few “never to be seen again “shots but at the same time have not lost my camera.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful replies. Yes, I need to make the decision as to how much I am willing to risk damage to my DSLR camera and lenses. I just brought home a Hornbeck 10'5" solo canoe. The plan is to paddle on quiet ponds, lakes and bogs but, even so, it only takes one slip of the hand or fumble to dunk the camera. I have never seen that particular barrel, WBB, but that's along the lines of what I was looking for. Thanks for the link. I like the idea of the soft-sided cooler, AlGonquin Bob, for quicker access and water protection, which would be handier than one of those expensive Pelican camera valises. I agree that if there is a danger of more turbulent water, I would need to be able to pack away the camera quickly in a more secure, waterproof container. Do they sell waterpoof cases for Canon XTi DSLRs? Probably VERY expensive! Decisions! Decisions!

Bingo!
For $120 you can buy this and you'll be good to go.

Waterproof Case from B&H

One option for drip proof protection is a pail with a screw on lid. I have these in several sizes from used pool water treatment chemicals. They clean up well and you can use a plastic trash bag as a liner. There is a short one perhaps 10' high & 10-12' in diameter that would probably fit your DSLR. Not sure this is any better than the soft cooler idea however for your need.

I use one or 2 of these pails on canoe camping trips and they double as stools once at a campsite. The big ones are about the same size as a 5 gal (dry-wall mud) bucket. Normally they have type of "child proof" lid release latch but you can grind down the teeth to defeat that. If you store food in them it provides some protection from critters too (though not from bears). Handy & free.

Dig out an old film camera or pick up a used one somewhere with a lens, get some film and then your set.., fears put on the back burner. Or get the bag from the previous post which I just bookmarked.

Gamma Seal Lids

What BobK said. While not as robust as an Otter Box or Pelican Case in a serious river broach situation, a standard 5-gallon bucket with a screw on Gamma Seal Lid is a great inexpensive option.

http://www.gammaplastics.com/new/GSL.html